My Favorites

Having a new baby is no joke, sweet readers. I’ve been doing my best to make more time for the blog, but I’m finding that the older Hazel gets, the more work she is! (Go figure.) Fortunately, the lovely Morgan Gray of Gray & Gabbana is stepping in with some awesome new content. November through February is “engagement season”, and if you end up in the bridal party, you have to be ready to knock it out of the park. Here are Morgan’s tips…

While I’m a writer from NY who’s usually scribbling away at poetry, my sister recently became engaged and named me her maid of honor. Having never been a MOH before, I jumped head first into the wedding world. It’s been a bit difficult to keep all the duties straight, so I’ve broken down my findings thus far. Hopefully this list will help YOU be the best maid of honor ever.

One of the most awkward parts of a wedding can be the seating, where the bride and groom have worlds colliding. To help people mesh better, buy mini party games and conversation topics (or DIY it). A small deck of conversation cards is great for prompting discussion that doesn’t have to do with the bride or ceremony and will help guests get comfortable with each other.

2. Ask the bride to give you a list of photos she wants

You only get one wedding day to get all the perfect pictures possible, so make it count. Ask the bride for specific pictures she wants and then browse wedding-photo websites like it’s your job. Touch base with the photographer on the day-of and make sure you get the bridesmaids Instagramming like crazy! (Bonus points if you help the bride create a signature wedding hashtag.) You definitely don’t want the bride kicking herself over missed photos after the wedding has come and gone.

3. Transportation

This goes for the wedding, reception, and bachelorette party: make sure everyone has a ride. How is the wedding party getting from the ceremony to the reception? Will people be taking part in an open bar? These are things you need to ask and find answers to— you don’t want anyone getting left behind.

4. Take care of the Mother of the Bride

The wedding might be all about the bride, but she’s not the only one to look out for. The mother of the bride is probably just as stressed and emotional as the bride herself. Take the time to reach out to her, even if it is just to talk. Whip up her favorite drink and let her reminisce about her baby girl. It might seem like a small gesture, but it will mean the world to her.

5. Get your soundtracks made in advance

The right soundtrack for wedding prep is essential. Times have changed, so (unfortunately) making mixed CDs is a little dated. I’d recommend saving major cash by using Spotify to make sure the song you want played will play. You can use this technique for everything from the bachelorette party and bridal shower to the limo ride to the venue!

I hope this list inspires you the next time you find yourself on MOH duty! Got some great bridal party tips of your own? Share ’em in the comments!

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know that I used to post every day. Quite honestly, I miss the routine of writing that often and interacting with all of you sweet readers! But this pregnancy has definitely slowed me down and I know it’s not about to get any easier to post with a new baby in the mix. So, I’d love to invite you all over to Instagram, where I’m able to post much more frequently.

Of course, I’ll continue to keep up with the blog, but if you’re craving a little daily dose of {blending beautiful}, Instagram is a great place to find it. Here are a few recent Insta pics…

An at-home gradient manicure…

DIY upgrade on our bathroom handsoap dispenser…

My ever-growing bump…

Before & After hair and makeup of my last bridal client of 2013!

If you haven’t already, join me on IG for more updates on DIY projects, the pregnancy and new baby, beauty finds, and other fun things! (My user name is blendingbeautiful.) Hope to see you there :)

I’m not sure where I heard this tip, but sometime during my engagement to Travis I was told to register for white dish ware instead of a pattern. The idea is that you will use your dishes all the time and if it’s white you’ll a) never get tired of an outdated print and b) you can switch out your bowls every so often to spice up the look of your set.

I loved this idea and a year and a half post-wedding, I’m still happy we did it this way. The plates we registered for were Mikasa from Macy’s— they’re pretty and sturdy and have some visual interest, despite the plain color.

And this week, I picked up a new set of bowls at Cost Plus World Market. I love the funky, eclectic pattern of the Charlotte bowls and the low price is awesome!

It’s so nice to be able to switch up our dishes without buying a whole new set. It makes dinner at home feel a little more special and when we’re tired of the look, we can choose something else!

What do you think of this registry tip? Would you (or did you) register this way? Got any other fave kitchen finds? Share ’em in the comments!

Sorry for the late post today, my sweets! This is such a busy week and the hours are just flying by…

I’m excited to share a few snapshots of our wedding album with you, if you’d like to see.

Nevermind that we’ve been married over a year already. I was the ultimate procrastinator and didn’t put our wedding album together until a couple weeks ago. This is not a sponsored post, but I have to give serious props to the company we used, Photobook America.

The quality of our album is awesome, and I was able to put the entire thing together myself with an easy-to-use downloadable software from the site. When it’s time to order, you can choose all kinds of fancy options to make your album extra-snazzy. We chose not to go above and beyond, and our book still turned out beautiful!

If you’re thinking of ordering an album of your own (I’m thinking a custom photo book would make great holiday gifts!), become a fan of Photobook America on facebook for a 40% discount!

One thing I love about my day job as a hair and makeup artist is that I get to see all kinds of beautiful weddings. It blows me away how creative and unique each celebration can be. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of working with Ingrid who is, in every way imaginable, my dream bride.

This woman is absolutely beautiful inside and out, and I had so much fun working with her on the big day. Her wedding was completely personalized and absolutely dreamy… want to see a few pictures?

The first awesome thing about this day: Ingrid got ready on a houseboat! The weather was foggy all morning and I was worried about her outdoor wedding, but as soon as she arrived, so did the sun.

I love the braided hairstyle Ingrid chose for her big day— so relaxed and romantic, don’t you think?

Her sister-in-law, Stacy Bostrom, is an amazing photographer based in southern California (you can check out more of her work here.) Despite having had a baby only three weeks before the wedding, she still managed to take the rest of these amazing snapshots of the day… she wasn’t even the official photographer and she still knocked it out of the park!

Check out the rest of the photos from the day on Stacy’s blog. Isn’t the whole feel of this wedding just a dream? *swoon*